Transparent watch protector



Jan. 15, 1952 L E 2,582,473

TRANSPARENT WATCH PROTECTOR Filed Nov. 8, 1946 Gamma Bzwsf-rr BY 97551". I

AME/V53 Patented Jan. 15, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TRANSPARENTWATCH PROTECTOR Gerald Beliert, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application November 8, 1946, Serial No. 708,582

1 Claim. 1

The present invention relates to a watch protector and refers moreparticularly to a transparent protector of the type adapted to cover thetop, sides and ends of a wrist watch.

An object of the present invention is to provide a watch protector ofsimple design.

A further object is to provide a protector which will be light in weightand compact in shape.

A still further object is to provide a protector which will be cool towear, having minimum contact with the skin of the wearer.

Another object is to provide a substantially rigid protector of moldedtransparent plastic material and of integral construction.

Still another object is to provide a protector which is easily appliedto the watch band of a wrist watch and easily removed therefrom.

Another and further object is to provide various means of attaching theprotector to the watch band, suited to the various types of watch bands.

In accomplishing the objects of the present invention, the protector ismolded of transparent plastic in homogeneous, integral construction, andshaped to cover the face, sides and ends of the watch and to engage thewatch band. In one form of the invention, the watch band is engaged byinternally extending flanges engaging the under surface thereof fromboth sides. In a second form of the invention, suitable for bands whichare not flexible across their width, a single arm passes down from oneside of the protector and under the watch band and up again. In a thirdform of the invention,'internally extending flanges engaging the undersurface of the watch band from both sides are pivotally connected to thewatch protector and spring actuated so as to form adjustable clamps,permitting attachment and removal'of the protector while the watch isbeing worn on the wrist.

Still another form of the invention provides means which areself-adjusting relative to proper engagement with watch bands ofdiffering widths.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects andadvantages thereof, reference will be had to the following descriptionand accompanying drawings, and to the appended claim in which thevarious novel features of the invention are more particularly set.forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

Fig. l is a perspective view of the preferred form of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view thereof.

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is an end elevation of a modified form of the invention.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of another form of the invention.

Fig. 8 is a longitudinal vertical section thereof.

Fig. 9 is a section on the line 8-9 of Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is a top plan view, partially broken away and partially insection, of a further modification.

Fig. 11 shows in perspective on a slightly enlarged scale one of twolike parts illustrated in Fig. 10.

Referring now in detail to the drawings and first to Figs. 1 through 5,the watch protector III comprises the body I I which is preferablyformed of one piece of molded, rigid, transparent plastic material asillustrated. Body II comprises the top portion I2 adapted to extendacross the face of the wrist watch I3, side portions I4 and end portionsI5. Extending inwardly from the lower portions of end portions I5 arethe flanges I6 adapted to engage the under surface of the watch band llof watch I3. A completely flexible watch band H such as of leather orcloth may be bent laterally so as to enter the mouth I 8 between flangesIIi so that the watch and band are held in protector III, as seen inFigs. 4 and 5. Protector I0 is open all across and along the bottom ofbody I I.

A second form of the invention, suitable for use with watch bands whichare not flexible laterally, such as bands of sheet metal or of laterallyextending rigid links, is illustrated in Fig. 6. In this protector 20,the body 2I has a top portion 22, side portions 2| integral therewithand end portions 25 also integral therewith, the whole protector 20being of rigid transparent material. Extending downwardly from one sideof end por-- tion 25 and integral therewith is the hook member 26, whichfurther comprises the laterally extending portion 21 and upwardlyextending portion 28. Protector 20 is slid on the watch band sidewise,the mouth 29 permitting passage of the watch band, and the upwardextending portion 28 serving to prevent lateral motion between protector20 and the watch band.

The extending portions 28 are located at opposite sides of the two endportions 25 so as to permit the engagement of the watch band at theopposite mouth openings 29 of the protector 20.

The further modification of the protector 30, shown in Figs. 7 to 9, maybe applied and removed while the wrist watch is being worn. Protector 30comprises the body 3| (Fig. 7) having a top portion 32, side portions 34and end portions 35. Pivotally connected to the end portions 35 of body3| are the flange members 36 which extend downward and then inward.Spring means 31 urge flange members 36 to rock inward of protector 3|]so that at all times they tend to resiliently engage a watch bandinserted therein. It will be noted that spring means 31 comprises twolike spring elements, each of which is an ordinarycylindrical coilspring having an axial projection 31 at one end and a projection 31 atits other end with a line of extension perpendicular to the line ofextension of projection 31. Projection 31 is squared, as 'by swedgingdie, following making of the spring. An aligned pair of these springelements are'nested in a tunnel 35' carried at each free end of an endportion 35 of the protector. At each end of the protector, the flangemembers 36 are keyed on their springs by way. of projections 31 whileprojections :31 are set in-a common mounting constituted by a singleaperture through the bottom wall of the tunnel. Removalcf the watchband, by :pinching it laterally so that flanges 36 at one end ofprotector 30 are disengaged therefrom, permits the protector 30 to bemoved pivotally around flanges 36 at the other end thereof for easierremoval.

Still .a further modification of the protector is shown in Figs. and 11,in which the engagingmeans for thewatch .bandis self-adjustable to takewatch bands of different widths. The protector 40 comprises a topportion 4!, side-portions -42,andapair-of similar endportions one ofwhich is shown at 43. .These end portions have depending side walls 44,andas here shown said walls-are parallel rather than downwardlydiverged: as equivalents are arranged in Fig. 1, and. equivalents of theflanges 16 of Fig. 1 are not fixed on the protector. .Such equivalentsare present,'however,being carried by added resilient members 45, ofthin sheet :material. They may be made as metal stampings, butpreferably are molded from a plastic having the requisite inherentelasticity. Each of the members v45, as shown best inFig. 11, is. aunitary piece comprising a main strip-portion 46 carrying upper andlower offset tabs 41 and 48. One of the tabs .is directly above theother, and both are extended perpendicularly from the same side of thestrip-portion near the end of the latter remote from its end wherepierced at 49. At the end of the strip-portion adjacent to its saidtabs, the same is slightly curled away from the tab carrying side of thestrip-portion. Two like members 45 are mounted 'ineach of the two endportions of the protector, as shown in the case ofthe end portion 43seen in Fig. 10. Each of said-members is;thus secured in place in anysuitableway,-.as by a rivet 50,. The two'tabs of the two-members providea yieldable'skeletal receptor for the watch band where extended betweenthe members. Each pair of tabs on a member 45 engages one side of thewatch band. The tabs 48 thus perform the same functions as the flangesIS. The members 45 are made to have a resilient set such that, when theyare attached to the interior of the protector, they are normally sprungin toward each other to a degree of separation slightly less than thewidth of the narrowest watch band commonly encountered.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of myinvention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to theprecise constructions herein disclosed and the right is reserved to allchanges and modifications coming within the scope of the invention asdefined in the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by United States Letters Patent is:

A watch protector for use with a wrist watch having wrist. engagingstrap sections connected thereto and extending diametrically fromopposite sides thereof, comprising a one-piece transparent body having aportion overlying the face of the watch and integral elongated strapoverlying portions extending from opposite sides thereof, side portionson said body enclosing the watch, the strap and watch connecting meansand a considerable portion of the outwardly extending strap sectionsadjacent thereto, and means at the free end portions of said strapoverlying portion and engaging with the wrist engaging strap sectionsmounting said transparent body in position over the watch, soconstructed and arranged that said protector can be detached from thewrist engaging strap sections without removal of the watch from thewrist, said strap section engaging means comprising a pair of flangemembers pivotally connected to said free endportions and extendingdownwardly and inwardly therefrom, to surround the strap sectionsconsiderably beyond the watch and strap connecting means, and springmeans connecting said flanges and said free end portions so as toresiliently bias said flanges downwardly and inwardly to engage thestrap sections.

GERALD BELFERT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,199,256 Farr Sept. 26, 19161,835,496 Johnson Dec. 8, 1931 1,986,328 Dreyfus Jan. 1, 1935 FOREIGNPATENTS Number Country Date 34,085 Switzerland Feb. 16, 1920

